Mechanism for seizing and releasing bowling pins



Jan. 8, 1963 K. c. SHERMAN 3,072,403

MECHANISM FOR SEIZING AND RELEASING BOWLING PINS FIG.2

INVENTOR. KENNETH c SHERMAN By W QVRMW ATTORNEYS Jan. 8, 1963 K. c. SHERMAN MECHANISM FOR SEIZING AND RELEASING BOWLING PINS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 2, 1955 KENNETH c. "SHERMAN BY (WW 'l l FlG.4

ATTORNEYS Jan. 8, 1963 K. c. SHERMAN MECHANISM FOR SEIZING AND RELEASING BOWLING PINS Original Filed Aug. 2, 1955 FIG? FIG.8

INVENTOR.

KENNETH c. SHERMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofilice EidWZA-M Patented Jan. 8, 1963 3,072,403 MECHANISM FOR SEIZING AND RELEASING BOWLING PINS Kenneth C. Sherman, Glen Burnie, Md, assignor to Sherman Enterprises, Inc., Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Original application Aug. 2, 1955, Ser. No. 526,033, new Patent No. 2,920,891, dated Jan. 12, 1960. Divided and this application Jan. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 1,025

Claims. (Cl. 273-42) This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 526,033, filed August 2, 1955, for Bowling Pin Setting Machine, pursuant to which application Patent No. 2,920,891 was granted January 12, 1960. The invention relates to a table or frame having thereon gripping members operable to seize standing pins by the neck, means to raise or lower the table, and means to release pins which have been seized. The table or frame hereinafter described is rectangular and is provided with pairs of parallel bars which can be simultaneously moved toward or from each other to grip or release bowling pins the necks of which are between the bars of any of said pairs. An object of the invention is to utilize some of the vertical movements of the table to operate the parallel bars at the proper times.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a table for seizing and releasing bowling pins;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, on a larger scale;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 33 of FIGURE 1, on a larger scale;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevation, on a larger scale, of a portion of the table shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 5 and 6 are sections on the lines 5-5 and 66 of FIGURE 1, on a larger scale;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the parts in a different position of operation;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of a trigger shown in FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary elevational view of the table in its uppermost position of operation.

The pin setting table 130 is directly over the portion of the alley on which the pins stand when set up, and is vertically movable to and from upper, mid and lower positions of operation. The table includes a rectangular frame on which are mounted four pairs of parallel tubular bars 140 and 142.

The bars of each pair are arranged to swing toward each other to a closed position, gripping between them the necks of one or more bowling pins, and to swing away from each other to an open position in which they are spaced apart slightly more than the diameter of the head of a pin. The function of the table is to descend from its upper position with its bars open to the mid position to pick up a set of pins from a distributor (not shown) which has received a set of pins and has arranged them in the standard triangular array and has been moved to a position directly below the table. When the bars have been closed upon the necks of the pins carried by the distributor, the table is elevated to its upper position to lift the pins clear of the distributor which is then shifted away from under the table to receive another set of pins. The table then descends to its lower position wherein it deposits the pins on the surface of the alley. The bars are then opened to release the pins, and the table rises to its upper position. When a ball has been thrown and some 1 pins are knocked down, the table is caused to descend to its lower position to pick up the standing pins and lift them clear while the fallen pins (deadwood) are swept into the pit. To do this, the table must descend with its bars open until it reaches its lower position, whereupon the bars are closed and the table elevated until the alley has been swept. Then the table is lowered again to deposit the lifted pins on the alley. The bars are opened to release the pins and the table is then raised with its bars open, ready for another deadwood operation or to pick up another set of pins from the distributor.

Each pair of bars on the table are adapted to move to and from each other to grip or release pins. For this purpose each bar is mounted on a bracket 144 at one end and a bracket 146 at the other end. The brackets are pinned on a rod 14% which is preferably hollow for lightness and is rockably supported at one end by the table 130 and the other end by a stud 149 (FIGURE 5). The bracket 1% is supplied with a tail 150 which carries a stud or roller 152 engaging in a notch 154 in the lower edge of a slide bar 156. The slide bar is supported by the studs 149 which pass through horizontal slots 158 therein. In like manner the bars 142 are mounted on brackets 159 at one end and brackets 160 at the other end. The brackets 160 are rockably supported on studs similar to the studs 149 which are fixed in a side member of the table 130. The brackets 159 are pinned to rods 148 in the same manner as the brackets 144-. Each bracket 160' has a lug 164 carrying a stud or roller 166 which rides in a notch 168 in the upper edge of the slide bar 156. When the slide bar is shifted forward or rearward, the bars 140 and 142 move simultaneously toward or from each other to grip by the neck pins which may be between them, or to release pins held thereby. FIGURE 3 shows the bars open; FIGURE 7 shows them closed.

Each of the bars 142 has one or more pin-centering devices comprising a yoke 170. Each yoke is rockably mounted on one of the rods 148 and is resiliently pressed in a counterclockwise direction (FIGURE 3) by a light spring 172 (FIGURE 2) one end of which is pinned to the rod 148. The centering devices are adjusted to be directly over the pin spots on the alley plate so that when pins are deposited on the plate they are accurately placed where they belong. When the table moves down for a deadwoodoperation, if any of the standing pins have been laterally displaced so that a centering device comes down on it, the device can readily yield by rocking back against the light pressure of its spring 172.

For the operation of the bars 14-0 and 142. the table 130 carries at one corner a vertical rod 174- which is vertically movable between two positions with respect to the table and extends through a guide bearing 176 and an upper bearing 178, the latter being mounted on a corner post 180 of the table which has a stiffening brace 182. When the rod 174 is moved to its low position relative to the table, such movement is against the force of a spring 184 which is compressed thereby. The rod is held in this cocked position by a latch 13? as hereinafter described. When pins are to be released, the latch is rocked to release the rod 174 which is thrust upward by the spring 184 to open the bars. The spring 184 is located on the upper end portion of the rod between the guide bearing 178 and a cotter pin in a hole through the rod near its upper end. A number of such holes may be provided so that the tension of the spring can be adjusted by selecting another hole for the cotter pin. This spring supports the rod. When the table 130 is raised to its uppermost position the upper end of the rod comes up against an adjustable stop 185 (FIGURE 7) attached to or a part of the main frame, before the table has reached its uppermost position. The final upward movement of the table compresses the spring 1% and cocks the rod. During such movement, the rod remains stationary with respect to the main frame, that is, it moves downward relatively to the table. Projecting from the rod 174 is a stud 186 which is adapted to cooperate with the latch 138 which is pivotally mounted on the table frame. When the rod 174 moves down (relatively to the table) the stud 186 engages under a nose 199 on the latch 1% if at that time the latch is free to rock to the position shown in FIGURE 9 in which the nose 190 is far enough to the left to catch on the stud 186, that is, when the bars 141 142 are closed as shown in FIGURE 7. A spring 192 presses the latch into engaging position with the stud 186. This holds the rod 174 down in its cocked position with the spring 184 compressed until the stud 186 is released. When the stud 186 is released, as hereinafter described, the spring 184 suddenly thrusts the rod 174 upward, thereby suddenly swinging the gripper bars 149, 142 to their open position. This is done by means of two rollers 194 on the rod 174 which engage cams 196 of parallel pawls 198 when the rod rises. These pawls are pivoted on a rocking lever 20% which is pivoted at 202 to a bracket 294 fixed on the table 130. Tension springs 206 hold the pawls against stops 208 on the lever 260. The rollers 194- rock the lever 26% counterclockwise (FIGURES 3 and 7). The lower end 210 engages in a notch 212 in the upper edge of the slide bar 156 so that the rocking movement shifts the slide bar to the right and opens the bars 140, 142 (FIG- URE 3). The bars are held open by engagement of the toe 214 of the latch 188 in a notch 216 (FIGURES 3 and 7) in the slide bar 156. The bottom of the notch 216 is sulhciently higher than the upper edge of the slide bar 156 to hold the nose 19%) clear of the stud 186 (FIGURE 4) when the toe 214 is in the notch 216 so that the rod 174 cannot be locked in its cocked position when the bars 140, 142 are open. When the gripper bars 140, 142 are closed, the toe 214 is then over part of the top edge of the slide bar 156 which is lower than the notch 216 so that it does not hold the nose 190 clear of the vertical path of the stud 186.

The bars 149, 142 close by their own weight when the latch 188 is rocked to lift the toe 214 from the notch 216. The latch can be rocked in two ways. First, in the reset operation the table 1311 descends from its upper position to take pins from the distributor which carries an upstanding post 222 directly beneath a trigger 220 on the table 139 when the distributor is under the table in position to present a set of pins to be seized by the gripping bars 14%, 142. The trigger 220 is pivoted on one of the studs 149 (FIGURE 5) and engages the post 222 to be rocked thereby to push up the toe 214 of the latch 188 (FIGURES 8 and 9) out of the notch 216. This releases the slide bar 156 whereupon the bars 146, 142 fall toward each other to their closed position. This movement of the bars is cushioned by the provision of one or more springs 224 which act as counterweights. Second, in the deadwood operation when the table 130 descends to pick up the standing pins, a stud 225 on the latch 188 is hit by a hunter 226 (FIGURES 4 and 9) which is pivotally mounted at 228 on one of four rock-arms 236 which swing down as the table descends to keep the table moving in a vertical path as described in said application Serial No. 526,033. A pair of the rock arms 23% are located at each end of the table 136* and are mechanically connected by parallel racks 344, 346, which are respectively attached to the upper ends of these arms and mesh with a common idle pinion 348. At the junction of each arm 2341 and its rack is a grooved roller 356 which runs between horizontal transverse rails 352 of the table 130 and provides the contact between the arm and the table. The grooves of the rollers 356 hold the table against fore and aft displacement. The racks 344, 346 with their connections keep the travel of the table in a strictly vertical path. FIGURE 4 shows the position of the arm 230, which carries the hunter 226, when the table is in its lower position. When the hunter 2Z6 strikes the stud 225, it rocks the latch 188 and releases the rod 174 which is instantly thrust up by the compressed spring .184 so that the rollers 194 i kick the pawls 198 and rock the lever 200 to open the bars 140, 142 against gravity. When the rod is thrust upward, the stud 186 lifts the hunter 226 clear of the stud 225 and flops it over to the left, permitting the latch 183 to rock so that its toe 214 enters the notch 216 in the slide bar to lock the bars 140, 142 in their open position.

The latch 188 thus has three positions of operation, two of which are illustrated, respectively in FIGURES 4 and 9, the third position being an intermediate one taken when the toe 214 of the latch engages in the notch 216 in the slide bar 156 as indicated in FIGURE 3.

It may be noted that whenever the table descends to its lowermost position, it either picks up pins from or deposits pins on the alley. Hence at such moments there is always either a closing or an opening of the gripper bars. In other words, when the table descends with its gripper bars open, the bars close when the table reaches the end of its descent, and whenever it descends with its gripper bars closed, the bars are opened when the table reaches the end of its descent. In each case the change is brought about by the hunter 226 striking the stud 225 to rock the latch 183, the difference being in the position and function of the latch when it is rocked by the hunter. Thus when the table descends with the bars open, the toe 214 is in the notch 216 (as shown in FIGURE 3) to hold the bars open until the latch is rocked by the hunter to dislodge the toe 214 from the notch and permit the bars to close. When the table descends with the bars closed, the stud 186 is under the nose 1190 holding the rod 174 down with the spring 184 compressed. The hunter then rocks the latch 188 to release the stud 186, permitting the spring 184 to open the bars as hereinbefore described.

As the table never deposits pins on the distributor, the bars are always open when the table descends to it. The engagement of the trigger 220 on the post 222 of the distributor trips the latch 188 in this case.

I claim:

1. In a pin setting machine for a bowling alley, a fixed frame, a table disposed horizontally in said frame and adapted to carry a set of pins, means for moving said table vertically in said frame from an elevated position to a lower position in which to deposit pins on the alley, pairs of gripping elements on said table, the elements of each pair being rockably mounted on the table to move downward toward each other to grip a pin between them and to move upward away from each other to a pin-releasing position, means for moving all said elements from their pin-gripping to their pin-releasing position, said last named means including a single spring carried by the table and compressible by movement of the table to its elevated position and connecting means responsive to expanding movement of said spring to move all of said elements to the pin-releasing position, latch means for holding said spring in compressed condition, and means for releasing said spring for immediate expansion when the table descends to its lowered position.

2. In a pin-setting machine having a fixed main frame, a pin-carrying table vertically movable in said frame, and means for raising and lowering said table; pin-gripping members mounted on said table for movement by gravity to a pin-gripping position and against gravity to a pinreleasing position, and means for actuating said pin-gripping members, said means comprising a member mounted on said table and vertically movable relatively thereto and movable therewith upward into engagement with a part of said fixed frame, spring means carried by said table pressing said vertically movable member upward, said spring being compressible by upward movement of said table after said member engages said fixed frame means actuated by upward movement of said vertically movable member relative to said table to move said pin-gripping members to their pin-releasing position, means including a latch carried by said table for releasably holding said vertically movable member in a lowered position relative to the table, and means for automatically tripping said latch to release said vertically movable member when the table reaches a predetermined lowered position.

3. In a pin-setting machine having a main frame, a pincarrying table vertically movable in said frame, and means for raising and lowering said table; pin-gripping members on said table movable by gravity to a closed position to grip pins, means for moving said members to an open position to release pins gripped thereby, the last mentioned means including a vertical rod carried by said table and vertically movable relatively thereto, a spring pressing said rod upward relatively to said table, stop means on said main frame engageable by said rod when the table is raised to its uppermost position to compress said spring, latch means for holding said rod relatively to said table with said spring compressed, a slide b-ar horizontally movable on said table to open said pin-gripping members against gravity and to be moved in the opposite direction by said pin-gripping members when free, means actuated by upward movement of said rod to move said slide bar to open said pin-gripping members, latch means rockably mounted on said table to rock between a first position in which said rod and said slide bar are free, a second position in which said rod is free and said slide bar is locked with the pin-gripping members in the open position, and a third position in which said rod is locked in its lower position relative to the table with said spring compressed, and means automatically rocking said latch to the first said position when the table is lowered to a predetermined position relative to the main frame. a

4. In a pin-setting machine having a fixed frame, a pincarrying table vertically movable in said frame, and means for raising and lowering said table; pin-gripping members mounted on said table for movement by gravity to a pin-gripping position and against gravity to a pinreleasing position, and means for actuating said pin-gripping members, said means comprising a member mounted on said table and vertically movable relatively thereto, spring means carried by said table pressing said vertically movable member upward, means actuated by upward movement of said vertically movable member to move said pin-gripping members to their pin releasing position, means including a latch carried by said table for releasably holding said vertically movable member in a lowered position relative to the table, and means for automatically tripping said latch to release said vertically movable member when the table reaches a predetermined lowered position, said tripping means comprising a bunter movable toward and from said latch member as the table is raised or lowered, said hunter being arranged to trip said latch when the table reaches its lowermost position, and means carried by said vertically movable member to knock said bunter out of engagement with said latch member when the vertically movable member is released by the latch and is moved upward by saidspring.

5. In a pin-setting machine, a pin-carrying table comprising a rectangular frame, four pairs of parallel bars carried by said frame, each pair of bars having brackets at their ends pivotally mounted in said frame to rock toward and from each other, a slide bar slid-ably mounted along one side of said frame, means operatively connecting said slide bar with all of said brackets for simultaneous rocking of the brackets when the slide bar moves longitudinally, said connecting means being such that movement of the slide bar in one direction swings the bars of each pair away from each other to an open or pinreleasing position and movement of the slide bar in the other direction is simultaneous with movement of said pair of bars toward a pin-gripping position, and pin-centering means associated with said parallel bars, each said pincentering means comprising a rod parallel and adjacent to one bar of each said pair, yoke members ro'ckable on said rod, and springs pressing said yoke members against the adjacent bars, each said yoke member having spaced arms extending across the space between adjacent parallel bars and spaced to receive between them the head of a bowling pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 996,250 Hughes June 27, 1911 1,203,216 McFarland Oct. 31, 1916 1,449,012 Lorenz et al Mar. 20, 1923 2,740,631 Montooth et a1 Apr. 3, 1956 

1. IN A PIN SETTING MACHINE FOR A BOWLING ALLEY, A FIXED FRAME, TABLE DISPOSED HORIZONTALLY IN SAID FRAME AND ADAPTED TO CARRY A SET OF PINS, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID TABLE VERTICALLY IN SAID FRAME FROM AN ELEVATED POSITION TO A LOWER POSITION IN WHICH TO DEPOSIT PINS ON THE ALLEY, PAIRS OF GRIPPING ELEMENTS ON SAID TABLE, THE ELEMENTS OF EACH PAIR BEING ROCKABLY MOUNTED ON THE TABLE TO MOVE DOWNWARD TOWARD EACH OTHER TO GRIP A PIN BETWEEN THEM AND TO MOVE UPWARD AWAY FROM EACH OTHER TO A PIN-RELEASING POSITION, MEANS FOR MOVING ALL SAID ELEMENTS FROM THEIR PIN-GRIPPING TO THEIR PIN-RELEASING POSITION, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS INCLUDING A SINGLE SPRING CARRIED BY THE TABLE AND COMPRESSIBLE BY MOVEMENT OF THE TABLE TO ITS ELEVATED POSITION AND CONNECTING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO EXPANDING MOVEMENT OF SAID SPRING TO MOVE ALL OF SAID ELEMENTS TO THE PIN-RELEASING POSITION, LATCH MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SPRING IN COMPRESSED CONDITION, AND MEANS FOR RELEASING SAID SPRING FOR IMMEDIATE EXPANSION WHEN THE TABLE DESCENDS TO ITS LOWERED POSITION. 